Preview — Awaken
by Meg Cabot

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, the dark reimagining of the Persephone myth comes to a thrilling conclusion.

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn't want him to let her go. Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she'd be forced to live forever in the one place she's always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacriFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, the dark reimagining of the Persephone myth comes to a thrilling conclusion.

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn't want him to let her go. Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she'd be forced to live forever in the one place she's always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness—and safety—are threatened, all because of the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: Never revive a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn't fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce's home back on earth will be wiped away. But there's only one way to restore order. Someone has to die....more

It is time. Time for me to give up YA books that have anything to do with the paranormal. They’re not working for me. But let me tell you why this one specifically failed to make me want to finish it. I got seventy five pages in and NOTHING HAPPENED. Oh sure, there was a lengthy recap of the previous book paired with the insufferable inner monologue of this doormat of an MC, so there were words, but really...NOTHING HAPPENED.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. On page 54 this happened:

StandingIt is time. Time for me to give up YA books that have anything to do with the paranormal. They’re not working for me. But let me tell you why this one specifically failed to make me want to finish it. I got seventy five pages in and NOTHING HAPPENED. Oh sure, there was a lengthy recap of the previous book paired with the insufferable inner monologue of this doormat of an MC, so there were words, but really...NOTHING HAPPENED.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. On page 54 this happened:

Standing on one of the piers along the shores of the river Styx, Pierce and the death deity love interest, John (<--the only reason I wanted to finish the series), notice that the massive boats that ferry the dead seem to be rocketing right towards them.

Proper reaction to this:

John and Pierce’s reaction to this:

No really. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:

John and Pierce’s Ten-Step Plan for Dealing with an Emergency:

1. Question EVERYTHINGThe more information you have, the better. You’ll find that when time is of the utmost importance, one should always stop to ponder why this is happening, how this is happening, who’s behind what is happening and what you can do to fix it. At length.

2. Help each otherIf you’re the man in this situation, you should formulate a plan alone. She’s a girl, her brain isn’t geared for that type of thinking. But don’t worry, she can still be useful! Give her the reins to your mighty steed and tell her to take shelter within the walls of the castle. That will get both your horse and your wench to safety. Two birds with one stone, my friend. (view spoiler)[Not exaggerating. This actually happens. (hide spoiler)]

3. StripIf your woman starts arguing against your genius plan, take your clothes off and flex. Her puny brain isn’t good at focusing in the face of so much raw masculinity.

4. Talk about your childhoodIf your man suddenly starts stripping, stare for a little while and then start talking about your younger years. Whatever’s vaguely related to what’s going on will do, like how you had horse riding lessons when you were little but he couldn’t possibly know that like he’s eluding to…unless he’s been stalking you since you were a child. Le sigh. How romantic. Just look at that bare chest…

5. Internal Monologues, they help (view spoiler)[ FUCKING NO ONE (hide spoiler)]Let your mind wander a bit. It might blindly stumble upon something that could be helpful in this situation. If you linger for a few minutes on your best friend’s suicide, the name of your first grade teacher, or your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s don’t worry about it, it might lead to tactical gold.

6. BalkWhen you (finally) realize you both might be in danger and that The Man really needs to start taking action on his plan, argue for a little while about him putting himself in harm's way. So what if thousands of souls could be lost if you continue to waffle for another ten infuriating pages, this is the ONLY soul that really matters and you need to talk about how he shouldn’t risk himself…after previously deciding that something needs to be done and he's the one to do it. Don’t worry, this'll all make sense when the time comes.

7. Make outPassionately and in front of a lot of strangers who are still wondering what the ACTUAL fuck you’re doing while having a different (some might suggest proper) reaction to the carnage that’s about to unfold.

8. Declare your loveThis may be the last time you’ll see each other. Make it count.

9. Talk about The PlanNow that the time has passed come to take action, elaborate on what’s about to happen. Go into great detail about what you’re going to try to do and just why it’s so important that you do it. Oh, and make sure you take the time to discuss all the risks involved as well as the numerous ways to mitigate them. You can never be too prepared.

10. Actions speak louder than wordsAt the last possible moment, take action! Put that genius plan into motion.

Argh! I finished the second book yesterday and I hate it where Meg Cabot left it! Why oh why Meg? And the third books blurb. It's amazing. I'm so annoyed because now It's on my list of books-I-have-to-wait-ages-for-to-come-out.

Please come out...

UPDATE:

Arrrrghhhhhhh I think i have a million questions about the cover. Is that John? Is that dead Alex? Is there a specific reason its purple?Did anyone notice that I love purple?

The. Cover. Is. Just. So. Awesome. I would jump up and down in glee ifArgh! I finished the second book yesterday and I hate it where Meg Cabot left it! Why oh why Meg? And the third books blurb. It's amazing. I'm so annoyed because now It's on my list of books-I-have-to-wait-ages-for-to-come-out.

Please come out...

UPDATE:

Arrrrghhhhhhh I think i have a million questions about the cover. Is that John? Is that dead Alex? Is there a specific reason its purple?Did anyone notice that I love purple?

The. Cover. Is. Just. So. Awesome. I would jump up and down in glee if I found out it was John and Pierce.

I think i will stay in a dance coma until it comes out so it will feel like it's only been a day.

"You couldn’t go back to your mom's house and hide under the covers when you had a baby, pretending you couldn’t hear its cries. That big, fat, demanding baby was your responsibility now. You had to take care of it, for as long as it needed you, even when it wasn’t being cute and giggly, but when it was crying and hungry.I should never have worried about having a demon baby as a result of making love with John in the Underworld: The Underworld itself is a demon baby."

What inActual rating: 1.5

"You couldn’t go back to your mom's house and hide under the covers when you had a baby, pretending you couldn’t hear its cries. That big, fat, demanding baby was your responsibility now. You had to take care of it, for as long as it needed you, even when it wasn’t being cute and giggly, but when it was crying and hungry.I should never have worried about having a demon baby as a result of making love with John in the Underworld: The Underworld itself is a demon baby."

What in the what? Pierce? Are you like, high?

Ok. There is YA fiction, then there is YA fiction. Let me rephrase. There is YA fiction, which can be read by a wide variety of audiences. The characters are believable, immature at times, but still complex. Their character mature over time. They have an ability to think beyond themselves. They are relatable; even as an adult, we can empathize with their action, speech, and behavior.

Then there is what I'd like to call extremely YA fiction. That which is purely intended for a young audience, that which is written purely for entertainment, and with no thoughts or aspirations to a higher area of literature. That's why I did not give this book a 1. It may be immature, the quality of writing is purely aimed towards a very young teenaged readers who may just want something light and fun to read, and a character who acts and speaks like they do. That's why it rated a higher rating than I would originally give a poorly written book. This book is purely intended as entertainment. It makes no aspirations towards anything higher. It is brain floss, a beach reach, brain candy, whatever you like to call it. And thr powerful message sent to young girls? Marry young. Have babies. Hopefully not demon ones. Screw education. Goddamn this book.

"I was missing...something.Not school, of course, since unlike Kayla, I didn’t have a goal outside the realm of the dead towards which I’d been striving."

The plot is so confusing, I don't even know what's going on. Something about crashing ships and killing more Furies and John Hayden dying and Pierce and her group of cronies (including the irrepressibly annoying Alex and Kayla) off to save Isla Huesos frorm the birds.

The good: the cover is pretty. I laughed at least once every page.

The bad: the laughter resulted from the utter absurdity of it all. The characters, their actions, their speech. The ridiculous clichéd acuity of the sagacious Mr. Liu and Mr. Smith. The tremendous age-old wisdom of adolescence. Even those who have lived for hundreds of years in the Underworld still have an adolescent mindset, it seems. Frank and Henry hasn't aged a day in mental years. They're just as mature as Pierce. Which is rather bad, considering Pierce has the mental maturity and thought process of her own age. She is so very adolescent. Her powers of thought, her skill with words are legendary. As are her action scenes.

"I cracked my whip, sending it wrapping around my grandmother’s throat multiple times, enfolding her as tightly as a warm, hand-knit scarf...one that a loving grandmother might send to her granddaughter in the mail for her birthday. Then I yanked on it as hard as I could, so it was more like the grip of a boa constrictor than a muffler.'How do you like the scarf I made you, Grandma?' I hissed in her ear."

Not only that, her thoughts seem to mainly run along the lines of: God, John is hot. Damn, John is hot. I love him sooooooooooo much but I can't tell him.

"'Do you like anything in your room?' he asked.You, I wanted to say. I like you. I love you.I don’t know why I couldn’t say it."

I love you. I love you. I love you. Pierce repeats that phrase (In triplets! Always in triplets!) so often, I wanted to knock her on the head. Priorities, girlfriend. The Furies and Thanatos are out to kill you, stop fucking mooning over your love for 5 seconds. Tropes and clichés abound. The writing is utterly laughable. The overly dramatic imagery, the battle scenes...every element that will appeal to an easily impressed young audience is here. Battle scene?! Stop! In the name of love

"John's gaze met mine and held it. Around us was chaos — the shrieking of the increasingly agitated birds overhead, coupled with the shrieks of the Furies as they battled...and Kayla's sobs.But there was a stillness within John and myself that, now that we were truly back together, no amount of external mayhem could disturb.I love you. I love you. I love you."

In the middle of a BATTLEFIELD, for fuck's sake. Thank god this series is done....more

CATCHALLAwaken is without a doubt my favorite Meg Cabot book thus far, and a true jewel. I absolutely devoured it. From start to finish, it was a ride I was happy to be on. I simply couldn’t get enough of it. When I read the last page, I flipped back to the first. It was that amazing.

THE HEROINEPIERCEPierce is my girl. I adore her. She’s strong and smart, and though she doesn’t always make the smartest decisions she does what she does for a reason and isn’t*****FINAL RATING: 4.65 STARS*****

CATCHALLAwaken is without a doubt my favorite Meg Cabot book thus far, and a true jewel. I absolutely devoured it. From start to finish, it was a ride I was happy to be on. I simply couldn’t get enough of it. When I read the last page, I flipped back to the first. It was that amazing.

THE HEROINEPIERCEPierce is my girl. I adore her. She’s strong and smart, and though she doesn’t always make the smartest decisions she does what she does for a reason and isn’t stupid about it. She’s a real person, and she makes real mistakes and has to fix them. But she also has a good heart, and though it’s gotten her in trouble, it’s also gotten her out of it, too.

THE LOVE INTERESTJOHNJohn is one of the sexiest characters I’ve ever read about. and I have very much appreciation for that. But he’s more than a gorgeous face. He wants to do the right thing, but sometimes he needs help figuring out what that is. Moreover, he genuinely care about Pierce and he’s so, so sweet to her. I think I actually melted at some points in the book.

THE PLOTI love the way Meg handles the retelling of the Persephone myth. It’s not so much a retelling as a reimagining, and it’s done with absolutely beauty and a bit of humor. I love the way the story unfolds, and though there’s not a much retelling in this last book, what is there is gorgeous.

Pierce is a string heroine, and though she doesn’t always make the right decisions, she tries her best to. This book strongly deals with the consequences of her actions, and she’s strong enough to face up to them. She doesn’t shrink away, and in fact often tries to take more blame upon herself than is strictly necessary.

There’s also the secondary plot in this book, which is a really interesting one. Almost as interesting as the main plot. I liked watching Pierce and her friends fight for what was right.

THE ROMANCEThe romance is tastefully written, and it’s sweet and intoxicating at the same time. Pierce and John are good together, and in some ways balance each other out. They really complement each other. Where Pierce is impulsive, John thinks things through more, and so forth. They’re so good together, and I loved watching them grow as a couple. The secondary romance was also so, so cute.

THE WRITINGMeg’s writing has improved a lot since her earlier series, and that growth is apparent in this book. The descriptions could use some work, but the world-building is awesome. It’s set partially in a fantasy place in our world and partially in the Underworld, and Meg does an awesome job of differentiating the two.

THE ENDINGThis book ended on a perfect note. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love the way everything pulled together, neatly but not too neatly, if you catch my drift. It’s like everything happened for a reason so that everything could lead up to this perfect ending, and I loved every minute of it.

WRAPUPAwaken is one of my favorite ever books, and the absolute best Meg Cabot I’ve ever read. I seriously only have good things to say about it. Pierce and John are unforgettable characters, and I’ll probably think of them often. I definitely recommend this series to fans of romance, and fans of mythology. It’s a gorgeous retelling.

So to say that this book made me an emotional mess is a complete understatement! From the very first few chapters it already broke my heart and threw all of the pieces around. At the end of a certain chapter I was like YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I mean I knew there was no way it could possibly be true but for it to tease me like that???? Heart breaking D:

HoweverAwakenwas a great ending to this series despite all of the heart ache. All of the plot lines were tied up nicely and I have no questSo to say that this book made me an emotional mess is a complete understatement! From the very first few chapters it already broke my heart and threw all of the pieces around. At the end of a certain chapter I was like YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I mean I knew there was no way it could possibly be true but for it to tease me like that???? Heart breaking D:

However Awaken was a great ending to this series despite all of the heart ache. All of the plot lines were tied up nicely and I have no questions remaining. I do feel like maybe some things were solved a tad bit too easily, but I also think that this happened because Pierce has grown as a character. She proved herself in this novel and she showed just how bad ass she could be. I loved the fact that John didn't always have to save her because she was capable of saving herself.

One thing that was a little annoying though was that I felt like there were a lot of repetitive sentences. Not a big deal exactly, and this could have just been me, but it did make the writing seem a little more bland I guess you can say.

Anyway, I really did love Awaken and I am very satisfied with the way this series ended, I couldn't have asked for anything better!

Beautiful cover!! I loved ABANDON, which was so perfect. UNDERWORLD was even better, if possible, and I have to say that Pierce is one of my favorite heroines. Cannot wait for AWAKEN. Really, I'm just so glad that I found a YA book that DOESN'T deal with stupid love-triangles. :)

It feels so good to finally finish another awesome series by one of my most sought-after authors. I really like the story of Pierce and John and I think they deserve a great happy ending. I love Greek mythology so much especially Persephone and Hades retellings. Thank you Meg Cabot for giving us another great paranormal love story. I swear I was swooning over these two lovebirds. John Hayden <3

I CANNOT. I JUST CANT. UGH I cant wait to read the third book. Im literally on the edge of my seat cause this book is a total cliff hanger and I cant wait for more of John's Hotness. oh. if only guys from books were real. The cover was so perfect I was like:

This is one of those series that definitely does not get better as it moves along. Awaken was an extremely boring, and kind of pointless, ending to a lackluster series. It was pure curiosity and determination that made me read this conclusion. Mainly, I wanted to know what the heck the plot was! Well, what I thought may have been the plot in the previous book may not have been, and a new plot was revealed in this one. I don’t understand why it took until the tI received an ARC through NetGalley.

This is one of those series that definitely does not get better as it moves along. Awaken was an extremely boring, and kind of pointless, ending to a lackluster series. It was pure curiosity and determination that made me read this conclusion. Mainly, I wanted to know what the heck the plot was! Well, what I thought may have been the plot in the previous book may not have been, and a new plot was revealed in this one. I don’t understand why it took until the third book of a trilogy to have a solid plot, but then again this entire series takes place over the course of a few days. Maybe a week. The Furies are still after John and Pierce, but now there is chaos in the Underworld! What’s causing it? And why was this even added in?!

There wasn’t much that I liked about Awaken–or any of these books, really–but I did kind of enjoy the addition of Thanatos. At least in theory. John dies early on, and of course everyone is freaking out because how does a dead man die?! Well, it turns out that Thanatos, the god of death, actually exists and has his soul. I was kind of excited about this prospect, but then we meet Thanatos and it’s kind of lame. Then everything regarding this is resolved super quickly and as if nothing happened at all. Everyone just moves on. I was majorly disappointed! The author has some really good ideas revolving around this god, but absolutely nothing came of it. In fact, this mini plot makes no sense and doesn’t even add anything to the overall story. It just gives Pierce and her friends something to do during the hurricane.

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like Pierce got even more annoying in Awaken. She wasn’t too bad in the previous books, other than declaring her undying love for John after two days and one conversation. For starters, she uses the term “boyfriend” at least 100 times within the first few chapters. We get it, you and John are together! I still find it weird to refer to a 184 year old man as a boy though. Then there’s her obsession with her bird, Hope. Every single time someone mentions hope, as in the feeling, she’s like “Oh, where?!” and starts looking for her bird. She also says “oh” a lot. I rolled my eyes at most of her dialogue. Her cousin, Alex, also got on my nerves. There was way too much of him, but apparently he was important to the plot.

One more thing: the drug storyline involving the Rector’s and Pierce’s mom and uncle was so unnecessary. I thought this in Underworld, but it gets even more ridiculous in Awaken. Who cares if your parents got high 20 years ago and played with some human remains on the beach?! It added nothing to the story except for another eye rolling moment. Why was this included? The Rector family being terrible people had no baring on the story whatsoever. Seriously, I don’t get it.

Awaken was just anticlimactic. A lot of stuff happens over all, but almost none of it was actually relevant to the plot. In fact, I’m still a bit confused as to what the overarching plot was. The Furies coming after Pierce to torture John? The unbalance in the Underworld (which was only introduced in this final book)? Good versus Evil? I have no idea. I will just come out and say it: this series is bad. I do not recommend it. It has some moments that keep it from being dreadful, which is why it gets 2 stars instead of 1. But really, this covers a few days in the life of Pierce Oliviera, in which she falls in insta-love with a death deity, attacks her grandma and other old people with a diamond and a whip, then lives happily ever after.

Awaken closes out the Abandon Trilogy in a nice tidy little bow without too many questions left to be answered. In fairness, however, there is (1) important question that I really would like answers to and I'm hoping that Ms Cabot finds a way to answer mine and Pierce's question: Why does Pierce's necklace turn purple whenever she's around Kayla?

Awaken closes out the Abandon Trilogy in a nice tidy little bow without too many questions left to be answered. In fairness, however, there is (1) important question that I really would like answers to and I'm hoping that Ms Cabot finds a way to answer mine and Pierce's question: Why does Pierce's necklace turn purple whenever she's around Kayla?

I'm pretty sure others haven't mentioned this little tidbit, but, this happens when I take copious notes and actually pay attention while reading and not just charge ahead like a rhino in a grocery story. Will we see another novella in the future that will explain this? Guess we shall have to wait and find out. In the meantime....

If you plan on reading the Abandon Trilogy in the future, my suggestion is that you start with Abandon, slide directly into Underworld, and then top it off with Awaken since the entire Trilogy is one huge continuous plot line without any sort of major interruptions. Yes, there are a few additional new characters added to Awaken, and they each play important roles in the continued smooth flow of the Underworld as well as add another layer to the story itself.

The opening of Awaken puts the Kibosh on Pierce's and John's mini skirmish that ended Underworld. In Awaken, Pierce is busy trying to save John from a permanent death, save the Underworld from the Furies who are causing major chaos, save her cousin Alex who was brought back from the dead by John, and her friend Kayla who got dragged into the Underworld to save her life, while trying to right a balance in the Underworld that was set adrift at sea by John's actions in saving Alex. On top of all this, she finally realizes that her angst ridden fight with John was a whole lot of nothing that could have been fixed by talking things over and saying three little words.

You are asking yourself, yes, but what about Pierce as a character and what about her growth? Pierce has definitely come a long way from the first book when it seems that the whole world was out to get her which wasn't far from the truth. She understands now that if she wants a commitment with John that she has to give up certain things while remaining in the Underworld as its Queen. She is definitely more of a take charge character than the previous books and makes some interesting choices and decisions along the way. She learns how to use a whip and her necklace against the Furies, including her Grandmother, who are relentless in their pursuit of what they call abominations.

There are some abstract story-lines added as well as an expected, I think, ending to the trilogy itself. There is the arrival, briefly, of Thanatos the death deity who I thought would have made a brilliant member of Pierce's team against the Furies or at least an antagonist that she would have to deal with more than just once. There's the fact that Pierce's parents are actually together in this story which I found pleasantly surprising as well as a sort of comic relief. Then there is the relationship between Pierce and John and what readers can guess will happen to them in the future.

In all, Awaken was pretty much what I expected from a Cabot written book. The story was fast pace. The plot lines were wrapped up quite nicely, and above all, there was no freaking 3 way love triangles which I want to send a personal note of congratulations to Ms Cabot herself!

Eeeee! I've waited so long for this book! The wait was worth it. I finally got me more John! Awaken is so good and a wonderful ending to this series I love so much. After John sacrifices himself in order to save everyone Pierce along with Frank, Kayla and Alex goes up to the land of the living packing a rock and a whip in order to save John and try to bring balance to the underworld. Furies get destroyed and evil grannys get beat and then there's the sexiness that is John what more could you waEeeee! I've waited so long for this book! The wait was worth it. I finally got me more John! Awaken is so good and a wonderful ending to this series I love so much. After John sacrifices himself in order to save everyone Pierce along with Frank, Kayla and Alex goes up to the land of the living packing a rock and a whip in order to save John and try to bring balance to the underworld. Furies get destroyed and evil grannys get beat and then there's the sexiness that is John what more could you want? The ending is freaking adorable too! Love it!

p. s. I apologize for the excessive use of exclamation marks I'm just really excited!...more

why does she want to leave if she loves him? she is whining about spendin forevr in a castle with her hot beloved and she has a problem, shes mental!why doesnt she give herself up to the furys if she is savin people?idk! if john dies will world explode? YES!

Pierce, Pierce, Pierce... oh man, this girl is ca-raaazy. This trilogy spans, what, a week and a half in total? By the end of this, Pierce wants to marry John and have kids with him in the foreseeable future. She's 17 and she's only properly known the guy for around a fortnight.

So apart from Pierce making stupid romantic decisions, she also makes stupid life decisions. She's got this great necklace that alerts her to the presence of evil but she never checks it? I'm not sure why she's not deadPierce, Pierce, Pierce... oh man, this girl is ca-raaazy. This trilogy spans, what, a week and a half in total? By the end of this, Pierce wants to marry John and have kids with him in the foreseeable future. She's 17 and she's only properly known the guy for around a fortnight.

So apart from Pierce making stupid romantic decisions, she also makes stupid life decisions. She's got this great necklace that alerts her to the presence of evil but she never checks it? I'm not sure why she's not dead yet, to be honest. She gets rescued by John so many times and I don't know how she survived past her 16th birthday. Let's see her deal with this without John, yeah?

Ignoring the whole Pierce/John romance, I really liked Kayla and Frank. Totally perfect for each other and Kayla doesn't need constant rescuing like Pierce does. Kayla is also a lot smarter than Pierce. And tougher. Why wasn't this series about Kayla??

The plot fell pretty flat, there wasn't anything that kept me glued to the book. I finished it because I've never not finished a Meg Cabot novel and I felt like I needed to finish it because of my long-standing love for her. That love is clearly waning and I'm sad because MC is my childhood....more

Anything can happen in the blink of an eye. Anything at all.One. Two. Three.Blink.

Once upon a time I read literally everything, and I do mean everything, Meg Cabot wrote. I would wait forever for her books to come in and I would read them to the point of exhaustion. My favorite was the Mediator series. Jump twelve years later to 2013 and I still think about her fun, witty writing and why I loved the books so much. I was so happy to find this series and see that she had added some more storiesAnything can happen in the blink of an eye. Anything at all.One. Two. Three.Blink.

Once upon a time I read literally everything, and I do mean everything, Meg Cabot wrote. I would wait forever for her books to come in and I would read them to the point of exhaustion. My favorite was the Mediator series. Jump twelve years later to 2013 and I still think about her fun, witty writing and why I loved the books so much. I was so happy to find this series and see that she had added some more stories to her long list of awesomeness. I immediately bought Abandon, and while it was okay (it could be dry at times) I knew there was so much potential for the rest of the series. The bones were there, she just needed to fill it out. I can't tell you how happy I am that I continued reading. I see the old Meg Cabot in her writing, and I love John and Pierce's relationship. Once again she has produced a favorite series of mine. I was so worried too..after she wrote the adult novels Insatiable and Overbite, which were mediocre at best, I thought she had lost her touch. But apparently YA is her bread and butter, because I couldn't put the last two in this series down.

There is an imbalance in the Underworld due to (view spoiler)[John and Pierce reviving Alex after Seth Rector and his cronies suffocated him in a coffin on coffin night (hide spoiler)], so the whole book they are trying to regain the balance and beat the Furies once and for all.

I have grown to love John and Pierce as a couple, and I can't help but to get the warm and fuzzies everytime John...well....everytime John does anything. He loves Pierce so much, and you can see it in every action he takes. They each have a fire within them that can only be tamed when they are together, otherwise they start to unravel. I cannot, I repeat, cannot tell you how many passages I highlighted in Awaken. There were just so many sweet moments I absolutely had to capture.

While this series probably isn't for everyone, those who do read it and enjoy it enough to finish the trilogy will be very pleased. Everything is rounded off so nicely, a fact I won't overlook considering how badly Insatiable and Overbite ended, and it really was a very good end to a fun trilogy. If you haven't read the prior two, please do. There is just something magical about the way Meg Cabot writes and you can't help but to smile as you read-I know I couldn't. I wish I could say more to persuade those who haven't read the series to read it, but there isn't anything else to say except-are you crazy? Go read it now! Sometimes reviews are better left alone, because a person just has to read the books. This is one of those series. They speak for themselves, so I'll let them do so. Go read it. Seriously. I'll miss you John!!!

Kristin (KC)Chelsea wrote: "Thank ya Kris! She really is great! But her YA novels are the best. They remind me of my childhood/middle school years. Maybe that's wChelsea wrote: "Thank ya Kris! She really is great! But her YA novels are the best. They remind me of my childhood/middle school years. Maybe that's why I rated them so highly...nostalgia?"

That's why I love YA's too. Brings me back to when life was more simple and exciting :)...more
Jul 12, 2013 10:34PM

Chelsea ❤Peril Please❤Oh! I didn't get an alert! Damn GR! But I totally agree with you-I was obsessed with the "Adult" novels for a couple years and now I find that the booOh! I didn't get an alert! Damn GR! But I totally agree with you-I was obsessed with the "Adult" novels for a couple years and now I find that the books I enjoy most are the YA novels...and its crazy because they have no..well..explicit sex scenes..but I don't think they need them..they're almost better in a way. IMO....more
Jul 16, 2013 09:05AM

I'm really excited for the the last book. I'm going to read this closer to the release date. VERY HAPPY!

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the FuI'm really excited for the the last book. I'm going to read this closer to the release date. VERY HAPPY!

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order. Someone has to die...more

The finale of a truly adventurous trilogy has finally come to an end! But did it really go out with a bang? Personally I love the books, I love the characters, the plot and even the use of the Greek story. But in this one I though that it was a bit short, also I think the ending wasn't explained well in depth. However overall their was great chapters and a really interesting story's, I hope we have another book later on in meg cabots career to hear more from pierce and John.

i loved the whole series. unlike most main characters in YA books, Pierce wasn't constantly in the need for the love of her life to save her and was capable enough to save herself and the people around her, she fought instead of playing the damsel in distress n she also was smart enough to figure things out from small clues which almost never happens in most YA romance stories. and john was really funny so the book even made you laugh. some things were basic YA like bad rebel boy with tragic pasi loved the whole series. unlike most main characters in YA books, Pierce wasn't constantly in the need for the love of her life to save her and was capable enough to save herself and the people around her, she fought instead of playing the damsel in distress n she also was smart enough to figure things out from small clues which almost never happens in most YA romance stories. and john was really funny so the book even made you laugh. some things were basic YA like bad rebel boy with tragic past, love at first sight, n all that but irrespective of some cliches it was still a good read.the only reason i didn't give it a five star like i gave the rest of the books in the series is because i didn't like the ending(but i have been told to be way too picky about my endings) at the end everything gets all too sunshiny and happy and they get everything n sacrifice absolutely nothing making it unrealistic.. so, its all way too rosy n happy for my taste.but if don't have a problem with happily ever afters all around, this is a great book and if you like your endings more realistic its still a good book not a great one but a good one nonetheless. so, ill recommend every YA romance fan to read it....more

I loved this series and its too bad it has come to an end!Now lets sum up what happened well John gets his soul captured by Thanatos (God of the dead yea we know Hades is the god of the Underworld Thanatos takes the souls and sorta organizes them)so Pierce,Kayla,Alex,and Frank go off to the Isla de Huesos to find Mr.Smith see is he has any info for them on the way they run over Mr.Muller *Happy face* and John strikes thunder on him to finish of the Job once thye get to Mr.Smith house they talk aI loved this series and its too bad it has come to an end!Now lets sum up what happened well John gets his soul captured by Thanatos (God of the dead yea we know Hades is the god of the Underworld Thanatos takes the souls and sorta organizes them)so Pierce,Kayla,Alex,and Frank go off to the Isla de Huesos to find Mr.Smith see is he has any info for them on the way they run over Mr.Muller *Happy face* and John strikes thunder on him to finish of the Job once thye get to Mr.Smith house they talk and Mr.Smith tells Pierce that John was probably the one who struck Mr.Muller with thunder with that they go off to Seth Rectors party because Pierce took a wild guess and said Seth is possessed by Thanatos. Pierce has to kiss Seth to place her Diamond necklace on Seth to remove Thanatos once Thanatos is free John gets free pops up in the party and gets pissed that pierce kissed Seth (on this part I was laughing so hard I could of died O.o) so he beats people up. Once they get out they go to Pierce house were the next morning Pierce mom finds John and Pierce in bed together... and John just blurts out he loves Pierce and wants to marry her (again laughing so hard i must wonder why aren't i dead yet?). Pierce mom reconciles with Pierce Dad with the help of Pierce Dad they get 2 boats for the dead which John has to blink to the Underworld. Once that happens the cops come in and Pierce escapes with Alex but losses Alex along the way once in the cementary i think all the furies ganged up on them but Pierce with her helpful lasso and friends beat up everyone and free the furies off of them! Alex then tells them that Thanatos has moved in with him. Alex tells his uncle hes going to a boarding school (really the underworld) and he wont come back unless there are holidays the book ends with Pierce and John talking about getting a house in Isla De Huesos and having kids.Now if that isn't sweet i don't know what is I loved John through out the whole book! Pierce relationship with John isn't all Daniel and Luce like they have there problems and argue and have a real relationship not a fake one like those freaks (lol) everyone has a happy ending I guess but the Furies and the Fates also come back to help out a bit they even helped Pierce escape!That's all for now!...more

'If enough people go out of their way to help someone else, the spirit of kindness eventually breaks through the darkness, the way sunshine breaks through clouds after a storm and allows even more kind acts to follow. My hope has always been that some day kindness will prevail, and there won't be any Furies for us to fight.'

When seventeen-year old Pierce Oliviera accepted the undying love of John Hayden, she knew that she'd have to live forever in the place she always dreaded'If enough people go out of their way to help someone else, the spirit of kindness eventually breaks through the darkness, the way sunshine breaks through clouds after a storm and allows even more kind acts to follow. My hope has always been that some day kindness will prevail, and there won't be any Furies for us to fight.'

When seventeen-year old Pierce Oliviera accepted the undying love of John Hayden, she knew that she'd have to live forever in the place she always dreaded the most; The Underworld. At the time, this sacrifice seemed worth it, but now Pierce's safety and happiness in The Underworld is threatened, after John broke a strict rule by reviving a dead soul.

The Furies are enraged by John's rule breaking, and if the balance of life and death aren't restored, the Furies will wipe out The Underworld and everything in it. Not only that, but Pierce's home on earth, Isla Huesos, will be wiped out alongside it. Can Pierce cheat death once more, restore the balance to the world, and save the ones she loves? (hide spoiler)]

My thoughts

This is the last book in the Abandon Trilogy by Meg Cabot. After finding the first book of this series in the library, I enjoyed it so much that I just had to read the next one. After reading the second book in the series, I waited a few months for the third book to be published, and luckily it was available in my library and my wait was over.

I can safely say that this conclusion to the series didn't disappoint me at all. It's always been believed, in the previous books, that The Underworld is a sanctuary where the Furies can't reach Pierce and her friends, so when the The Underworld is in danger from the Furies, it makes for a great story, as suddenly, nowhere is safe.

Pierce is once again incredibly brave, fighting against forces that she didn't even know existed a few months ago. However, Pierce is never alone, as she once again has the help of her loyal friends, as well as some new friends that she meets along the way. As the story progressed and everything became clear, I found it really hard to put this book down. I felt like I needed to know everything; the reasons behind the danger in The Underworld, the truth about Seth Rector's family and why John hates them so much, and of course the solution to the furies.

Overall, this series has been amazing. I was surprised by the first book when I read it, as I'd only ever read The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, and this series is so different in so many ways. This series is dark, exciting, and full of wonderful characters. I definitely recommend the whole series to anyone that loves stories involving Greek mythology.

Awaken did not meet my expectations. To be blunt, the plot was scattered and wasn't held together very well. It was messy and random, and their were many parts through the book where I literally whispered "Wait, what?" to myself. I LOVED Abandon and Underworld. I loved the relationship between Pierce and John. I loved how Cabot interpreted the Underworld. The books were captivating and compelling, so I was highly anticipating Awaken, but it was in many ways, a let down. I had quite a few issuesAwaken did not meet my expectations. To be blunt, the plot was scattered and wasn't held together very well. It was messy and random, and their were many parts through the book where I literally whispered "Wait, what?" to myself. I LOVED Abandon and Underworld. I loved the relationship between Pierce and John. I loved how Cabot interpreted the Underworld. The books were captivating and compelling, so I was highly anticipating Awaken, but it was in many ways, a let down. I had quite a few issues with this book...

* First off...Was it REALLY necessary to add in new characters out of the blue? Chloe and Reed start off as randoms in a line that Pierce happened to be standing near. However, by the end of the book, they've suddenly been upgraded to full time characters who are know permanent residents of the Underworld. What??? Seriously, WHAT?!?

* The whole thing with Thanatos was randomly introduced, and I think it would have been better if he was mentioned at least once in the last 2 books.

* The ending was anti-climatic and kind of slow. The 'big fight' kind of just.... happened. I found myself lazily skimming through the fight scene, hoping it would end soon. At once point during the fight, Pierce and many other characters seem to just decide to randomly huddle around and have a nice conversation with one another. They don't seem to pay attention to the supposed 'battle' that's going on around them until after a couple of pages. This slow pacing happened numerous times throughout the novel, including the mishap at the beginning of the book concerning the hijacked boats. It seems like whenever John and Pierce decide they want to have a special moment, the madness and chaos that's happening around them seems to be put on pause.

*The ending, or more-so, the last 10 pages of the book felt INCREDIBLY rushed. It felt as if Cabot had gotten sick of the story herself so she decided to chuck everything in a neat little package and be done with it. It felt like it should have been more of an epilogue rather than a whole chapter.

Whilst Awaken did have a happy ending, I wasn't nearly as satisfied with the ending as I'd hoped I would be and it felt somewhat open-ended.Overall, Awaken started off strong but as the book progressed, it seemed to have lost the plot a little. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing last book to an otherwise great trilogy, but having said that, it did keep me preoccupied enough and I will always be a fan of Meg Cabot :)...more

my heart is totally broken that I didn't enjoy this book the way I so desperately wanted to.

uuggh... where to begin? the cover: I L-O-V-E it. sensuous purple, john in pierce's arms... beautiful. and terribly deceiving. I waited with baited breath for this book - I mean, it was almost painful waiting for this one. the first two books are some of my all-time favorites but this was almost a total disaster.

*Spoilers ahead* (view spoiler)[pierce was fine as a character, john was still hot and awesommy heart is totally broken that I didn't enjoy this book the way I so desperately wanted to.

uuggh... where to begin? the cover: I L-O-V-E it. sensuous purple, john in pierce's arms... beautiful. and terribly deceiving. I waited with baited breath for this book - I mean, it was almost painful waiting for this one. the first two books are some of my all-time favorites but this was almost a total disaster.

*Spoilers ahead* (view spoiler)[pierce was fine as a character, john was still hot and awesome, kayla's adorable, etc.

BUT

the first 1/2 of the book was total BS. nothing happens. meg cabot took what could have been riveting material over 50 pages and stretched to more than double that. the thing with seth being possessed by thanatos was a cool twist but it seemed (ironically!) to be resolved too quickly. alex is now possessed by thanatos because he is "more chill than seth"? WTF?

the fight scenes - omfg.... listen, I'm not a new york times best selling author but I'm telling you right now, if you are going to have a "fight to the death" scene, THERE SHOULDN'T BE PAGES OF DIALOGUE breaking up the fighting!!! there is absolutely NO reason for there to be 5-10 pages of dialogue going on while, as pierce notes, "the furies are pouring in from everywhere and everyone is fighting". no. just.... NO. I'm pretty sure that once you get to meg cabot's level of awesomeness, your editor and publisher let you keep whatever you feel like in your writing. there is no other reason why the fight scenes in this book should have been that slow and dull.

fight scenes 101: people should be bleeding. people should be dying (or dismembered!). it should be terrifying and stressful to read. you should be on edge reading it, not slogging through endless BS dialogue intersped with the occasional character randomly stopping the discussion to punch a bad guy. that is cute in the movies but fails miserably in a book!!!

ugh. I still love pierce and john together. the last 5 pages were wonderful. but honestly, this book shouldn't have been written. underworld should have ended with an extra 50 pages of what little actual story was told in awaken. then the series should have ended and we would be happier for it.

I liked this one and oddly I didn't think I was because the first third because I was like nothing is happening. While stuff was happening but Pierce was just a spectator and then...well then, shit happens.

I will have to say this is the first book in this series that really felt to me, genuine Meg Cabot. Arguably, Underworld had its moments. But I finally saw the development I wanted to see inReally 3.5 stars, but given the way the series started it redeemed itself.

I liked this one and oddly I didn't think I was because the first third because I was like nothing is happening. While stuff was happening but Pierce was just a spectator and then...well then, shit happens.

I will have to say this is the first book in this series that really felt to me, genuine Meg Cabot. Arguably, Underworld had its moments. But I finally saw the development I wanted to see in Awaken which was more than a little refreshing.

Let's start with the plot. It's intricate and somehow she puts it all together. Grant it, I didn't like how a little of the threads were left till the very end...but it worked. And I liked how Meg would throw you a piece of the puzzle and you would think you'd know how it fit together and bam a curve ball. Also, you could tell a substantial amount of research went into this book and I have to thank Meg for that. Lots of the times authors try to avoid research. And I get it, researching can be a pain in the ass. But it really does make a book.

What I think was surprising to me the most about this book was its characters. I'll be honest, up until this installment I really liked the side characters better than the main characters. That was sort of the opposite with this book with the exception of Mr. O who was just awesome.

Yeah, I liked the main characters more this time around. Well, John. Pierce and I...well, I liked her better towards the end. But John. He's, well, a Cabot man. Yes, he does have rage tendencies and at first glance he appears to be your typical YA bad boy idiot, but this is a Meg Cabot man he of course ends up being dreamy (well, more tolerable). And then there's the chemistry he shares with Pierce. I always have sort of frowned on their relationship because it's essentially insta love. But man, oh man, there are some panty melting scenes here.

Another thing I really liked about this book is that it doesn't take itself seriously. Cabot knows it's a little over the top and that's okay. The book is supposed to be over the top and I think it's sort of fitting it uses The Florida Keys as it's environment. If you've ever been down to the Keys you know that the area itself is sort of surreal. The vegetation, the people, the fact that you can get pie thrown in your face...anything can happen.

Best Feature: John. I really grew to love this guy. In the first book he came off as your typical YA ass. But he's really grown on me. He reminded me of Indiana Jones in this book at the beginning-you know when Indy jumps off the boat and....well, he has that sort of attitude. And he only improves with the story. I thought his interactions with Pierce's friends and family, especially her father, were hilarious.

Worst Feature: Pierce. I really get annoyed with this character. She means well and I get that Cabot wanted to have a character that wasn't book smart which is refreshing because most of these YA girls are all AP Harvard bound students. But sometimes Pierce....well, she's a little too stupid for her own good. In a lot of ways she reminds me of Snow White. She's a nice girl but compared to all the other Cabot characters she's bland and lacks any sort of street smarts. Okay, so she sort of grows a backbone at the end. But still, she lacks logic. Suze and Jess would both be laughing at her. And both those girls would've jumped to action from the very beginning. And I'll admit, when it comes to Cabot books I have a bar set pretty high when it comes to my heroines. I always expect a Suze, Jess, or Mia. And Pierce is comparison to a lot of these YA MC's isn't bad at all. But really some of the things she doesn't understand...just Google it. And really, why is she content on NOT finishing high school. Yes, not every kid is academic bound and she's going to live in the underworld and all, but if John ever ditches her she's going to have to have a diploma to get any sort of job (even a low wage job). Seriously, do you want to be doing these jobs (if you're lucky)? I guess it helps her dad is Tony Stark, but couldn't she have some drive to at least get a GED or something.

Appropriateness: If you've read the second book then you know that Pierce and John share the same bed (i.e. have sexual relations with each other) it's never discussed in much detail only that they do it and that they're essentially shaking up together. There's also some language in this book. Drug use is discussed in passing and there are some battle scenes.

I don’t think you even understand. I’ve spent like three years of my life DEVOTED to this series. THREE YEARS of waiting for each book to be released, jumping up and down when it finally is, spending a full day locked in my room reading it with NO HUMAN CONTACT WHATSOEVER, and then crying when it’s over. Repeat this process twice, with extended waiting periods and misinformation on the release date, and putting myself through the pain and thrill of re-reI am in denial.

How could it be over? HOW?!

I don’t think you even understand. I’ve spent like three years of my life DEVOTED to this series. THREE YEARS of waiting for each book to be released, jumping up and down when it finally is, spending a full day locked in my room reading it with NO HUMAN CONTACT WHATSOEVER, and then crying when it’s over. Repeat this process twice, with extended waiting periods and misinformation on the release date, and putting myself through the pain and thrill of re-reading the first two books over and over again when I was upset and needed hope, and you’ll sort of feel the way I’m feeling now.

I feel like I’ve spent three years in a relationship with this amazing person, except now I’ve just been brutally dumped.

And it wasn’t even as if the book was bad. The ending wasn’t even bad. The problem was, the whole series was just absolutely incredible, and now I’m devastated – DEVASTATED – that it’s over.

It didn’t even take me a day. Not even twenty-four hours, including sleep and the four hours of community service in a library that I did this morning (for fun – I know, I am just so cool and have such an amazing social life).

No, Meg Cabot. You are a cruel, cruel creature. I demand that you continue to write more and more sequels to this series until the day you die.

Actually, don’t, because – even though I am HEARTBROKEN – it ended on a high, and you couldn’t outdo yourself if you tried.

Of course, that’s what I said about Abandon… and Underworld… and the entire Princess Diaries series…

But anyway, the book. It was incredible, as I have already mentioned several times. I have developed a relationship with each and every single one of the characters in this series, and the story will remain forever in my heart, and the books close to my bed (so I can read them when I get sad, and regain my faith in good writing).

Every single teenage girl should read this series. No matter what genre you like, or if you don’t even read. It’s easy and exciting and amazing, and eventually you’ll get over the fact that John has long hair (even though it took me a while, but hey, if you’re into that sort of thing – boys sitting on large horses with the wind blowing their long, flowing hair back – good for you).

I didn't really remember the first two books very well, which turned out to be more of a problem than it usually is. There just wasn't a lot of catch up information. (It's only the series where I don't need it that re-explain everything!)

Anyway, this wasn't really bad, but the series is a disappointment. Meg Cabot was one of those authors I was guaranteed to enjoy and I love the Hades/PEh, I mostly just got around to finish this series because it (sort of) counts for the Romance Genre Challenge.

I didn't really remember the first two books very well, which turned out to be more of a problem than it usually is. There just wasn't a lot of catch up information. (It's only the series where I don't need it that re-explain everything!)

Anyway, this wasn't really bad, but the series is a disappointment. Meg Cabot was one of those authors I was guaranteed to enjoy and I love the Hades/Persephone myth, so I feel cheated that this wasn't my perfect series. (It maybe should've been an adult series? (view spoiler)[All the talk of marriage and planning for babies at the end! (hide spoiler)])

Soooo. Anyone have a rec for a good Hades/Persephone retelling? I looked for some a few months back and just ended up dnf'ing a bunch.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.